Thursday, March 16, 2017

Many Wright descendants can trace their roots to Belfast, Ireland couple

Grave of George Wright of Belfast, Ireland.

William George Wright was born in Belfast, Ireland on July
1, 1757, and Jane Elizabeth Smith was born in Belfast sometime in 1751. They
eventually married in Belfast and came to America during Colonial times.
According to “A History of Clay County, Indiana” by William Travis, William George
Wright served under General George Washington during the American Revolution. The
couple apparently moved around a lot with children born in North Carolina before
moving to South Carolina and Tennessee, eventually settling in Harrison County,
Indiana.

William George Wright was a weaver and worked his trade for
many years out of his home, which was located about three miles from Corydon,
Indiana. He lived to the age of 81, passing away on July 27, 1838. His wife
died on Oct. 8, 1829 at the age of 78. They are both buried in the Musselman
Cemetery in New Middleton, Indiana.

In 1770, William George and Jane Elizabeth Wright had a son,
also named George, who was born in Richmond, N.C. in 1770. If you do the math,
this means that his father was 13 and his mother was around 19. This may
indicate that they married very young in order to make travel to the colonies
easier.

The son, George Wright, eventually married a woman named
Sabra Pate, and they had a son named Daniel Pate Wright, who was born in Marion
County, South Carolina in 1795. At some point, Daniel Pate Wright moved to
Monroe County, Alabama, where he died in November of 1849. Daniel Pate Wright,
the grandson of Irish natives, is buried in Bethlehem Cemetery in Monroe
County.

Grave of Jane Smith Wright of Belfast, Ireland.

Daniel Pate Wright and his wife, Elanor Godbold Wright, had
a son named John Washington Wright, who was born in Old Texas on May 10, 1818.
Records indicate that John Washington Wright served in the Confederate army as
a member of Co. G of the 36th Alabama Infantry. He was wounded at
the Battle of Chickamauga, but survived the war and lived to the ripe old age
of 89 before passing away in Old Texas on July 16, 1907. He is buried in the
Solomon Cemetery in Monroe County.

John Washington Wright and his wife, Eliza Ann Solomon
Wright, had numerous children, including James Harrington Wright, who was born
on June 9, 1851. James Harrington Wright passed away at the age of 83 on Aug.
18, 1934 and was buried in the McClure Cemetery in Butler County.

James Harrington Wright and his wife, Catherine Rosetta Cook
Wright, had a son named James Thomas Wright, who was born in Conecuh County on
Nov. 8, 1880. James Thomas Wright lived to be 77, passing away on May 28, 1958
in Conecuh County. He is also buried in the McClure Cemetery in Butler County.

James Thomas Wright and his wife, Anna (Mary Ann?) Young
Wright, had a son named Charles W. “Charlie” Wright, who was born in Conecuh
County in Conecuh County on June 8, 1906. Charlie Wright lived to the age of
82, passing away on Oct. 28, 1988. He is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
in McKenzie.

Charlie Wright and his wife, Lois Baldwin Wright, had a
daughter named Frances Jane Wright, who was born on June 10, 1934. Frances Jane
Wright married Richard Lee Peacock on Feb. 19, 1949 and they had five children
with numerous grandchildren and other descendants.